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The meta setting is an advanced feature. Instead of directly using meta yourself, consider using .server.js / .client.js / .shared.js or Vike Extensions (which use meta under the hood).

⚠️ We recommend using such advanced capability, which can be complex to use, only if you have a clear reason why simpler alternatives aren't an option for you.

The meta settings enables you to create:

Example: dataEndpointUrl

This example showcases a simple data fetching logic that uses URL data endpoints (e.g. a RESTful API).

// /pages/countries/+dataEndpointUrl.js
// Environment: server
 
export default 'https://restcountries.com/v3.1/all'
// /pages/+config.js
// Environment: config
 
export default {
  meta: {
    dataEndpointUrl: {
      env: {
        server: true,
        // Load the value of /pages/**/+dataEndpointUrl.js only on the server
        client: false
      }
    }
  }
}
// /pages/+data.js
// Environment: server
 
export { data }
 
import fetch from 'node-fetch'
 
async function data(pageContext) {
  // The value exported by /pages/countries/+dataEndpointUrl.js is
  // available at pageContext.config.dataEndpointUrl
  const response = await fetch(pageContext.config.dataEndpointUrl)
  // ...
}

Example: sql

Similarly to the previous example, another common use case is to enable pages to define their data requirements as SQL queries.

// /pages/product/@id/+sql.js
export const sql = (id) => `SELECT { name, price } FROM products WHERE id = "${id}";`
/* Or with an ORM:
export const sql = { modelName: 'Product', select: ['name', 'price'], where: { id } } */
// /pages/user/@id/+sql.js
export const sql = (id) => `SELECT { firstName, lastName } FROM users WHERE id = "${id}";`
/* Or with an ORM:
export const sql = { modelName: 'User', select: ['firstName', 'lastName'], where: { id } } */
// /pages/+config.js
// Environment: config
 
export default {
  meta: {
    sql: {
      env: {
        server: true,
        // Load the value of /pages/**/+sql.js only on the server
        client: false
      }
    }
  }
}
// /pages/+onBeforeRender.js
// Environment: server
 
export { onBeforeRender }
 
import { runQuery } from 'some-sql-engine'
 
async function onBeforeRender(pageContext) {
  // The value exported by /pages/**/+sql.js is available at pageContext.config.sql
  const { id } = pageContext.routeParams
  const { sql } = pageContext.config
  const query = sql(id)
  const data = await runQuery(query)
  // ...
}

Example: title and description

In order to define the tags <title> and <meta name="description"> of a page's HTML, you can create new settings title and description.

If you use a UI framework Vike extension vike-react/vike-vue/vike-solid, then you don't need to create the title and description settings as they are already created by vike-react/vike-vue/vike-solid. You can still read this section as it's a good example for showcasing meta.

We first show how the settings title and description are used and then their implementation.

Usage

// /pages/about-us/+title.js
 
export default 'About Us'
// /pages/about-us/+description.js
 
export default 'Who we are, our values, and what we stand for.'

You can also use +config.js instead of creating the files +title.js and +description.js:

// /pages/about/+config.js
 
export default {
  title: 'About Us',
  description: 'Who we are, our values, and what we stand for.'
}

See API > Config Files.

Your pages can also use data that was dynamically fetched in order to determine <title> and <meta name="description">:

// /pages/product/+title.js
 
export default pageContext => pageContext.data.product.name
// /pages/product/+description.js
 
export default pageContext => {
  const { product } = pageContext.data
  return `${product.name} - ${product.description}`
}

Implementation

// /pages/+config.ts
 
import type { Config } from 'vike/types'
 
export default {
  meta: {
    title: {
      // Make the value of `title` available on both the server- and client-side
      env: { server: true, client: true }
    },
    description: {
      // Make the value of `description` available only on the server-side
      env: { server: true }
    }
  }
} satisfies Config
// /pages/+onRenderClient.js
// Environment: client
 
export { onRenderClient }
 
import { getTitle } from './utils'
 
function onRenderClient(pageContext) {
  // Update the value of <title> upon page navigation
  if (!pageContext.isHydration) {
    document.title = getTitle(pageContext)
  }
  // ...
}
// /pages/utils.js
// Environment: server & client
 
export { getTitle, getDescription }
 
function getTitle(pageContext) {
  // The value exported by /pages/**/+title.js is available at pageContext.config.title
  const val = pageContext.config.title
  if (!val) return 'Some default title'
  if (typeof val === 'string') return val
  if (typeof val === 'function') return val(pageContext)
}
function getDescription(pageContext) {
  // Same as getTitle()
  // ...
}
// /pages/+onRenderHtml.js
// Environment: server
 
export { onRenderHtml }
 
import { getTitle, getDescription } from './utils'
import { escapeInject, dangerouslySkipEscape } from 'vike/server'
import { renderToHtml } from 'some-ui-framework'
 
async function onRenderHtml(pageContext) {
  const title = getTitle(pageContext)
  const description = getDescription(pageContext)
  return escapeInject`<!DOCTYPE html>
    <html>
      <head>
        <title>${title}</title>
        <meta name="description" content="${description}" />
      </head>
      <body>
        <div id="root">${dataEndpointUrl(renderToHtml(<Page {...pageContext.data} />))}</div>
      </body>
    </html>`
}

This implementation can be improved: the file /pages/utils.js is loaded on both the server- and client-side but getDescription() is only used by the server-side. This means getDescription() unnecessarily bloats the size of your client-side bundles. It would be cleaner to split /pages/utils.js in two separate files: one for the client-side and another one for the server-side. In general, be extra careful in which environment each file is loaded; consider using .server.js and .client.js to ensure the environment of files.

Example: Layout

Another common use case for meta is to create a component <Layout> that defines the layout of the page.

// /pages/product/+Layout.js
// Environment: browser and server
 
export { Layout } from '../layouts/Responsive'
// /pages/admin/+Layout.js
// Environment: browser and server
 
export { Layout } from '../layouts/Dashboard'
// /pages/+Layout.js
// Environment: browser and server
 
// The default layout in case the page doesn't set one
export { Layout } from '../layouts/LayoutDefault'
// /pages/+config.js
// Environment: config
 
export default {
  meta: {
    Layout: {
      // Load the value of /pages/**/+Layout.js on both the server and client
      env: { server: true, client: true },
      // Make it cumulative for nested layouts
      cumulative: true
    }
  }
}
// /pages/+onRenderHtml.js
// Environment: server
 
export { onRenderHtml }
 
import { renderToHtml } from 'some-ui-framework'
import { escapeInject, dangerouslySkipEscape } from 'vike/server'
 
async function onRenderHtml(pageContext) {
  const { Page, Layout } = pageContext.config
  const pageHtml = renderToHtml(<Layout><Page/></Layout>)
  return escapeInject`<!DOCTYPE html>
    <html>
      <body>
        <div id="root">${dangerouslySkipEscape(pageHtml)}</div>
      </body>
    </html>`
}

Note how we use pageContext.config.Page instead of pageContext.Page: that's because pageContext.Page is just an alias for pageContext.config.Page.

// /pages/+onRenderClient.jsx
// Environment: browser
 
export { onRenderClient }
 
import { renderDom } from 'some-ui-framework'
 
async function onRenderClient(pageContext) {
  const { Page, Layout } = pageContext.config
  renderDom(
    <Layout><Page/></Layout>,
    document.getElementById("root")
  )
}

Example: modify data() env

You can use meta to change the environment in which built-in hooks are loaded. For example, you can change the environment of the data() hook from { server: true, client: false } to { server: true, client: true }.

// /pages/some-page/+config.ts
 
import type { Config } from 'vike/types'
 
export default {
  meta: {
    data: {
      // By default, the data() hook is loaded and executed only on the
      // server-side. By using meta we can make it isomorphic instead:
      // data() is loaded and executed as well on the client-side.
      env: { server: true, client: true }
    }
  }
} satisfies Config

Making data() isomorphic allows you to fetch data directly between the user's browser and the data source (without involving your server), see API > data() hook > Environment.

If you want to change the meta.env on a page-by-page basis, you can use the the file extension .shared.js (renaming +data.js to +data.shared.js), or you can create a new dataIsomorph config:

// /pages/+config.ts
 
export { config }
 
import type { Config, ConfigEffect } from 'vike/types'
 
const config = {
  meta: {
    dataIsomorph: {
      env: { config: true },
      effect
    }
  }
} satisfies Config
 
const effect: ConfigEffect = ({ configDefinedAt, configValue }) => {
  if (typeof configValue !== 'boolean') {
    throw new Error(`${configDefinedAt} should be a boolean`)
  }
  if (configValue === true) {
    return {
      meta: {
        data: {
          env: { server: true, client: true }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Example:

API

// /pages/+config.js
// Environment: config
 
export default {
  meta: {
    someSettingOrHook: {
      // [Required] Defines the environment in which the config value is loaded.
      env: {
        // Load the config value on the server. [Required]
        server: true,
        // Load the config value on the client. [Required]
        client: true,
        // Load the config value at config-time (when Vike loads +config.js files). [Optional]
        config: false // default value
      },
 
      // [Optional] Whether config values should be merged (instead of overridden).
      cumulative: false, // default value
 
      // [Optional] Function called when the config value is loaded at config-time.
      // Requires `env.config` to be `true`.
      effect({ configDefinedAt, configValue }) {
        if (someCondition) {
          // This config object is merged with the current one.
          return {
            meta: {
              // This can be the same or another hook/setting.
              someOtherSettingOrHook: {
                env: { server: true, client: false }
              }
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

TypeScript

Similar to Vike.PageContext, you can extend (or refine) Vike's Config type by using the global interface Vike.Config.

// /pages/+config.ts
// Environment: config
 
export default {
  meta: {
    sqlQuery: {
      env: { server: true }
    }
  }
}
 
declare global {
  namespace Vike {
    interface Config {
      /** The SQL query that retrieves the page's data */
      sqlQuery?: (id: number) => string
    }
  }
}
 
// The following isn't needed in this example, but if you define Vike.Config
// in a .d.ts file then make sure there is at least one export/import statement.
// Tell TypeScript this file isn't an ambient module:
export {}
// /pages/product/@id/+config.ts
 
import { Config } from 'vike/types'
 
export default {
  // ✅ Typed
  sqlQuery: (id) => `SELECT { name, price } FROM products WHERE id = "${id}";`
} satisfies Config

sqlQuery is a custom setting, see Example: sql.

If you define a cumulative config, then also make sure to use the global interface Vike.ConfigResolved.

// /pages/+config.ts
// Environment: config
 
export default {
  meta: {
    viewport: {
      env: { server: true }
    }
  }
}
 
declare global {
  namespace Vike {
    interface Config {
      viewport?: number
    }
    interface ConfigResolved {
      // Set the pageContext.config.viewport type
      viewport?: number[]
    }
  }
}

See also